


Your Guardian Angel.

by MCRmyKilljoySoldier



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Asociality, Bullying, Depression, M/M, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-14 23:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1283455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCRmyKilljoySoldier/pseuds/MCRmyKilljoySoldier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank realizes there's more to the asocial older Way brother than he thought; so he tries to help him come out of his shell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Guardian Angel.

**Your Guardian Angel.**

Frank knew Gerard was abnormal.

Everyone did.

He never acknowledged anything, he never interacted with anyone, he never cared for the elderly or the children, he never donated a single penny and he's never said a word to anyone besides his stuffed toy cat, Mittens (he was allergic and afraid of cats), who he's had ever since he was born. He almost never spoke and usually kept his dark brown hair down to his chin to hide his face while wearing baggy clothes to hide his body.

The man never left his room up in the attic and when he did, it was to go and steal some food from the kitchen or to use the bathroom.

Frank didn't know why he still lived with the Ways. Gerard was at least twenty four years old, more than old enough to go get a job and move out. Frank was twenty, he already moved from his parents' cozy, warm and expensive detached house to move into a shabby one-bedroomed apartment.

Whenever Frank tried to ask Mikey, Gerard's brother, about Gerard, he usually shrugged it off. One time, he was going to finally tell Frank and put an end to his curiosity.

"He's got this... condition." Mikey had said awkwardly one morning, "He... Well, he doesn't really interact with people."

"Why?" Frank had asked.

"I can't really explain it."

And that was their conversation, which left Frank's curiosity to flare even more. Gerard interested him, that man was a walking, living, breathing riddle. He wanted to solve the riddle. The only hint he had was vague.

_Condition? What condition?_

He never brought it up again, just left the topic hanging on a loose thread, the sheer curiosity eating up his insides.

The next time he saw Gerard was about a month after his conversation with Mikey.

He was with Ray Toro, one of his best friends, and Mikey. They were crowded around the new PlayStation 2. Ray was a videogame fanatic. He was saving up to buy the console for months. When he finally got it, he ran straight to the Ways, holding it up and waving it around, making Frank and Mikey beg him to set it up for them. He finally agreed, not being able to resist the puppy dog eyes.

They were finally setting it up, everyone trying to help and get everything right.

"Okay, so how the fuck do you plug this in?" Frank asked, holding up a chord.

"Give me, you idiot, gosh, how am I friends with you guys?" Ray huffed and grabbed the chord. He plugged it into the Panasonic TV, fitting the right chords into the right places.

"Okay, so we're spending the night here?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, mom says we have to, to keep Gerard some company." Mikey shrugged and then fiddled with the controller.

"Gerard?" Frank questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, she says she convinced him to stay with us for an hour."

"Cool." Ray nodded and then took out his Nokia, "I'm calling the pizzeria, do you guys want a veggie and a pepperoni pizza?"

"Yeah," They both nodded and then finished installing the console.

"There! Take that, Panasonic, we won, you lost, ha, ha, ha!" Frank shouted when the console worked. He jumped up and did a happy dance, his neon green socks sliding against the hardwood floors, "Who's better than this motherfucker? No one!"

He was now sliding all over the floor because his socks allowed him to, listening to Ray and Mikey's laughter. He was laughing, too, a smile wide on his face and his eyes twinkling. He was childish, he knew he was, but he loved it. It entertained him and others.

"Oh my gosh, Frankie-"

Ray gasped for air as he saw his silly friend dance around in his neon green socks.

As a finale, he slid on his knees after running, the material of his jeans making him slide across the hardwood floor. His arms were up in the air and his middles fingers up. He felt himself slide faster than usual and suddenly, his face hit a pajama-clad pair of legs.

He looked up and almost immediately, light pink blush coated his cheeks at the sight of his best friend's brother.

The one and only, Gerard.

Gerard was wearing dark blue pajama pants and an old, faded black band tee, the name of the band no longer recognizable. His dark brown hair was dirty and framed his face awkwardly as he stared at Frank with wide, frightened hazel eyes. A dusty, grey, old, stuffed toy cat was in Gerard's pale hands. The cat was a light grey with big black buttons for eyes. It had blue mittens on and a pink furry nose to match. A blue patch was sewn in, covered its belly and black stitching was around its neck, he presumed Gerard fixed it himself.

"Um..." Gerard whispered, hugging the stuffed cat tightly.

"Oh, sorry, Gerard!" Frank yelled with a grin on his face. The blush was still there but he willed it to go away. He stood up and brushed the dust away from his knees.

Gerard shrugged and bit his thumb, staring at a painting at the end of hallways instead of looking at Frank.

"Come on, Mikey's waiting." Frank smiled awkwardly and started to walk back to the living room.

"Hey, guys!" He yelled at Mikey and Ray who were busy playing FIFA.

"Busy playing- No talking- Shut the fuck up, Frank- Dammit!" Mikey exclaimed when Ray shot into his net and got a point.

"Fuck, Ray, it's not fair! You play this shit in your sleep!" Mikey shouted and crossed his arms. The two bickered over and over again, Ray accusing Mikey of being horrible at the game and Mikey accusing Ray of cheating.

"It's okay, Mittens, we'll get a turn." Frank heard Gerard whisper into the stuffed car's ears and his heart melted at the sight.

"Here, Frank, you play!" Mikey said and passed the red controller to Frank. He grinned at the controller and then looked at the shy Gerard who simply petted his kitty and kissed its head.

"Aw." Frank mouthed discreetly and then passed the controller to Gerard, "Here you go, Gerard, you play."

He looked up shyly, Mittens still in his hands, "Me... I-I..."

"Yeah, you can play." Frank grinned, extending his hand so Gerard could take the red controller.

He smiled and set Mittens on his lap then took the controller from Frank and held it in his hands. The doorbell rang which made Ray and Mikey jump up and race to the door to get the pizzas. Gerard tensed, looking at Frank from the corner of his eyes, feeling vulnerable. Frank caught on and smiled reassuringly at Gerard.

"I-I don't know... I don't know how to play..." Gerard blushed. He pet Mittens and rubbed its nose and then looked at Frank shyly.

"I can teach you, Gee- Can I call you Gee?"

Gerard nodded; the blush still prominent on his cheeks. Frank loved how adorable he was, how awkward he was. It made his heart melt and his smile to become permanent.

"Okay so," Frank started to explain, "Here's what you do..."

He showed Gerard how to play, tricks he should use, how to win, everything. During all that, Ray and Mikey went to the study room to install the new computer, which left Frank and Gerard time to be alone.

"Okay, so that's basically it." Frank said and then took a bite out of his slice of veggie pizza, "That's all there is to it."

"Thanks, Frankie..." Gerard mumbled and then stroked Mittens head, "He's nice, right, Mittens?"

"Yeah, he is." He murmured and then rubbed his nose with the cat, scrunching it up. Frank felt his heart clench at the adorable sight and another smile to form.

With that, he stood up, waved at Frank and then left the room.

Leaving Frank alone to wonder...

Does he have a thing for Gerard?

\---

Frank was laying on his bed, red blankets drawn to his chest and one arm underneath his head.

All that was running through his mind was Gerard's face.

Gerard's blush, his smile, his eyes, his stuffed cat, his awkwardness, his anxiety, his adorableness, everything...

He knew it was weird to like a guy he barely knew but it was Gerard.

He knew something was wrong with Gerard but he didn't think it was bad.

It just made him more interesting.

He wanted to fix Gerard, to see what was so wrong.

Frank had some flaws, too.

No one's perfect.

Gerard was perfectly imperfect in so many ways.

They can help each other.

But the first thing he should do is get close to Gerard.

And that means hanging out with Mikey even more.

That in itself is a win-win situation.

\---

The next time he saw Gerard, he was at Mikey's house and they were having a movie marathon.

Gerard was in the attic, of course. He wanted Gerard to be with him, too. It would be fun if they were all there, but he couldn't pressure the older man to join.

"So," Mikey announced, holding two DVDs up, "Which one do you guys want to watch? Dawn of the Dead or that other movie Frank wants?"

Frank looked at his group of friends and glared at all six of them.

Ray, Mikey, Bob, Billie, Mike and Tré all snickered at him then put in Dawn of the Dead in the DVD Player. He grumbled and then rested his head on Billie's lap, completely ignoring the older boy's protests, "Frank, I'm not your human pillow!"

"Suck it up buttercup and go suck on a banana."

"A banana?!" Billie snorted but laced his fingers in the younger boy's hair, "Okay, fine, but I'm playing with your hair so don't complain."

"I won't." Frank hummed then watched the opening credits roll in.

In ten minutes, he was asleep.

\---

"Hm?"

He woke up and saw it was dark. They were all asleep, covered in blankets and Frank realized he was covered in one, too. A light brown one with dogs all over it and it made him smile.

He loved dogs.

Billie snored loudly, making Frank chuckle and realize he was still on his lap. He found it adorable because he knew how Billie he was, he knew he wasn't the type to push Frank off the minute he fell asleep.

Billie wrapped an arm tighter around him but it was at the wrong timing.

Frank really wanted to pee.

He could feel the urge getting stronger so he gently pushed Billie off and ran to the nearest bathroom. His hands covered his crotch involuntarily as he ran to the bathroom and opened the door forcefully only to scream and piss his pants in shock.

There stood Gerard in all his nude glory. His hands were in his hair, lathering the strawberry shampoo in but now they grabbed the shower curtain and tugged it over his body to cover his privates. His hands darted out and grabbed a plastic Ziploc bag that contained dry and dusty Mittens the Cat, and then held the shower curtain tightly. The water still rained down from the showerhead but Gerard didn't look like he was going to turn it off anytime soon.

"Frank?!" Gerard exclaimed, staring at Frank; "Did you... Did you p-piss your pants?!"

He felt his cheeks flame as he looked at his crotch and saw a large stain all over the front.

"Y-You just scared me- Why the fuck didn't you lock the door?!"

"I s-scared you, you scared me! I-I-I'm... I-I'm scared of l-locked washrooms o-okay? Y-You can tease me now."

"I'm not going to tease you... Just, continue with your shower..." Frank chuckled awkwardly.

"You can wait for me; I have some extra pants for you..." Gerard whispered, hugging the Ziploc bag tightly. The shampoo was still in his hair and his hands were still clutching the green shower curtain.

Frank nodded, "Okay, I'm just going to pee if you don't mind."

"I-I don't." Gerard blushed and pulled the curtain to its normal position.

Frank tried not to chuckle at Gerard's cuteness and unzipped his jeans then finished his business while staring at the white tiles. He finished then considered pulling his pants up but disagreed, "Um, Gee, is it okay if I can go up to your room to get some pants..."

"I'm going to finish in a minute!" Gerard yelled out awkwardly then stopped the water flow. His right hand stretched out and grabbed the white towel from the rack then dried himself behind the curtain. He wrapped the long towel around his shoulders then stepped out of the shower, a blush on his cheeks.

"Come with me." He whispered to Frank and hugged the Ziploc bag tighter.

Frank followed him to a set of stairs and went up with him, eager to see Gerard's den. He didn't know what to expect, he was really curious.

He climbed up the stairs, shielding his privates from view. Gerard was still blushing and he found that quite adorable.

That man was going to be the death of him.

When they arrived at the attic, Frank's jaw dropped open as he took it all in.

Paintings were everywhere. They were on the carpeted floor, on the double bed, on the wooden desk, on the dark blue walls, on windows, in books...

They were all varied. Some were comic strips, some were paintings of plants, others were sketches of people, and lots were sketches of comic characters.

He ogled at all the paintings, drawings, sketches and sculptures... They were all so beautiful.

"Sorry about the mess..." Gerard whispered then walked to his closet so he can rummage for some pajama pants for Frank.

"This is amazing... Wow, you're one talented motherfucker, Gee, I wish I can draw, man."

"Ha, I bet you can draw, I could teach... if you want, that is, I'm not forcing you!" Gerard said quickly.

"That would be amazing... But can I have some pants?" He giggled.

Gerard blushed but nodded while chuckling, "Yeah, here."

Frank caught the black pants then said, "I'm going to use the shower now, that okay with you?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

He nodded, "Thanks."

"No problem."

\---

When Frank was done with his shower, he wanted to go back to Gerard's room and hang out with him for a while but he didn't know if the other man would be comfortable with it.

He chose to check up on the guy, to see if he was okay.

He climbed the stairs, a giddy feeling in his stomach. Nervousness ran through his veins at the thought of seeing Gerard again. When he finally reached the attic, he saw Gerard sitting on his bed, Mittens in hand and fresh out of the Ziploc bag.

"Um, Gee..."

Gerard looked up, hands tensed and eyes wide at the sight of Frank, "Hey, Frankie..."

"Is it okay if I hang out with you for a while?"

"Yeah, it's o-okay."

"Cool!" Frank laughed then lay down on the bed next to Gerard.

"He's a nice guy, Mittens." Gerard whispered into the cat's ears. He turned to Frank and whispered into his head, "Mittens thinks you're a nice guy."

Frank grinned but bit his lip to refrain from coming off as too creepy, "I think Mittens is a really nice cat." He whispered into Gerard's ear, "So are you, Gee."

"You think I'm a nice cat?" He giggled.

Frank laughed but shrugged, "I don't know, I think you need the whiskers."

Gerard laughed and grabbed a Sharpie from the bedside table and held it in his hands, "Let's see if you make a nice cat, Frankie."

Frank scrunched his nose when Gerard placed the black tip on his nose and colored it in. He then added a few whiskers, making them straight and perfect.

"How do I look?" Frank chuckled.

"You look awesome! C-Can you turn me into a cat, too?" He asked shyly.

Frank nodded then grabbed the Sharpie and colored in the nose. He added the whiskers after and giggled when he realized how cute Gerard looked.

"You're so purr-fectly cute!" Frank yelled, poking Gerard's nose.

Gerard blushed and smiled awkwardly, "Thanks! You're... Catastic."

"Was that the best you could come up with?" Frank chortled, "Catastic?"

"Hey, I w-wasn't the one who came up with the cat jokes." Gerard pouted.

"Aw, Gee, don't be sad! Come on; let's do what normal people do."

"What?"

"Let's draw some stuff on those assholes downstairs with permanent marker."

Gerard smirked and then nodded, "Sure."

They both got two permanent markers each and made their way downstairs, silently. They went into the living room and saw the six boys still sleeping.

"This is going to be awesome." Frank whispered to Gerard.

Gerard nodded and hugged Mittens tightly, "Yeah."

With that, Frank walked over to Mike and Gerard made his way over to Billie.

He got his Sharpie and hovered over Mike's face, not knowing what to write. He bit his lip, thought for a while, then decided on drawing the classic cartoon penis.

He stifled his giggle then moved on to Mikey and did the same thing. He drew that on everyone, when it was his turn to draw on Billie, he had to clamp a hand over his mouth.

Gerard was drawing intricate spider webs, spiders, dead roses, Jack Skellington, a Cartoon Billie on his cheek, then finally, he got Billie's eye pencil from his pocket and drew X's over Billie's eyes. In small, cursive writing, Gerard wrote ‘Thank You’ on Billie’s neck then kissed his cheek.

Frank didn’t know why he did that but he did know it was for a reason.

Hopefully, he’ll find out why.

"Oh, you drew on everyone else already?"

"Um, yeah, I kind of did, sorry Gee..."

"It's okay; they're waking up now, so I have to go."

He was about to leave when Frank interrupted him with a shy, "Wait!"

"Hm?" Gerard turned around and asked.

"Can we hang out again? I had fun."

"Sure, Frankie... I'd really like it."

With that, he went back to his attic.

Frank didn't realize that the guys would wake up so soon, and when they did, they freaked out.

"What the fuck, Frank?! What the fuck is on my face, you asshole! Are those cat whiskers on your face?!" He heard Bob yell.

"Holy shit, guys-"

"Oh my God, Billie, what's on your face?! That's so awesome!" Ray exclaimed, pointing at Billie's face.

"I need to see this." Billie said then stood up to go to check his face out in the bathroom. When he came back, his eyes were wide and his mouth was agape, "You so did no draw this, Iero, no way in hell!"

"I didn't, you guys! Well, I drew the stuff on your faces but Gerard drew on Billie-"

"That's not funny, Frank; Gerard would never actually do that." Mikey rolled his eyes.

"He drew it; come on guys, Gerard's a great guy!"

"I know he is... Just, let's watch this shit off our faces."

"I'll stay; this is not coming off my face!" Billie yelled, pointing at his face.

The rest all rushed into the washroom, fighting their way to get to the sink when Frank blushed, remembering his encounter with Gee.

"Aw, why are you blushing?" Billie asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Nothing you asshole, just remembering something."

"Sure, sure..." He winked then started to stroke his face, "Gerard’s way too misunderstood for his own good."

Frank never asked him what he meant; he knew Billie wouldn't really tell him.

He just nodded.

"Well, I'm off to sleep, goodnight, Frankie."

"Night, Billie."

He lay down on the floor and brought the dog blanket up to his chin.

Maybe Gerard was just misunderstood.

He wasn't quite sure.

\---

He didn't see Gerard for at least two months after that. He never came down from the attic when Frank was over and he never went out. One time, Frank went as far as trying to get him out of his room but the man wouldn't budge. He'd locked his door after the second time Frank tried.

He heard sniffling and crashing from the attic whenever he passed the door that will lead him up there. Frank wanted to walk in and hug Gerard, to talk to him, to see his smile...

But he couldn't.

"Gerard's been really sad, lately." Mikey sighed one day.

Mikey and Frank were both sitting on the couch, watching reruns of Boy Meets World when Mikey abruptly turned off the TV and Frank knew it was something big.

Mikey never turns off the TV.

"Gee... Gee's been crying up in his room, Frank. He hasn't been like this ever since that group of kids in the twelfth grade told everyone he was gay and he got so much shit for it. I hated seeing him like this and now he won't talk to me."

"He... He's gay?"

"I hope that's not a problem-"

"I-It's not... I'm gay, too, remember?"

"Yeah, right, sorry. Anyway, he won't talk to me and I was thinking... Maybe you can go talk to him?"

Frank bit his lip then stared into Mikey's stressed, worried, sad eyes.

He really wanted his brother to get better.

Frank nodded slowly, worried about Gerard and really wanting to know what was wrong with him.

"I'm going to go check up on him now, Mikey, I'll try, okay?"

"Please, I just want Gee to get better."

He stood up and then slowly walked to the door that led to the attic. With a shaking hand, he turned the knob then gasped when the door opened.

He slowly made his way up the stairs, suddenly nervous.

When he finally made it upstairs, he stepped into the room and his eyes widened in surprise.

The whole room was trashed, paintings were ripped and sculptures were broken, books were strewn all over the floor and the one that surprised him the most was Gerard lying in a fetal position on the floor with Mittens in his arms.

The poor boy was crying, his eyes bloodshot and swollen while his face was damp with tears. He was sniffling and sobbing, trying to stop the tears but failing each time, causing him to whimper. He was shaking and he looked like he was close to hyperventilation.

"Gee...?" Frank murmured.

"G-G-Go away, y-y-you can't s-see me l-like this. I-I d-don't w-want... I-I don't want you to s-see me c-cry..."

"Gee, what's wrong, tell me..."

He walked closer the weeping man and sat next to him, trying to comfort him.

"Do you want a hug?"

Gerard nodded, his lip quivering and his nose blotchy and red.

Frank wrapped his arms around the older man, feeling his heart swell when he saw the tears cascade down his cheeks heavily. Gerard pressed his face into Frank’s neck lightly, breathing into soft skin, making Frank shiver. He didn’t know why Gerard was crying so much but he really did want to know. He wanted to help Gerard.

Frank knew he had feelings for Gerard. That was the reason he waited all this time to see him. With anyone else, he would’ve moved on. Frank wanted to see Gerard’s smile, again. The smile that made him smile, too.

“W-Why are you still h-here?” Gerard hiccupped into Frank’s neck, “H-How did you n-not leave me, yet? I thought you w-wouldn’t want to s-see me, again.”

“Sh, Gee, don’t say that.” Frank mumbled, wiping the older man’s tears away, “I wanted to see you again, I still do. I just want to know why you’re so sad.”

Gerard burst into tears again, wrapping his arms around the younger boy’s neck, his shoulders shaking with every sob.

“Let’s go sit on the bed…”

Gerard shakily stood up, still sniffling and sobbing, making Frank’s heart clench in sorrow. He didn’t want Gerard to feel this way. He sat Gerard on the bed and brushed the long brown hair out of older man’s eyes, a small smile on his lips.

“It’s okay, Gee, I’m going to go get us some coffee and come back, okay?”

“Can you please get Mittens for me?” Gerard sniffled, hugging the blankets tightly. Frank nodded and handed Gerard the little stuffed cat. Gerard took it and hugged it tightly, tears still streaming down his face.

“Okay, want anything else?”

“Um… Can we share a chocolate bar?”

“Dairy fucks with my system a lot, how about some Skittles, Gee?”

Gerard bit his lip then nodded, looking down at Mittens.

Frank waved at him then sprinted down the stairs and all the way into the kitchen, eager to make some coffee for Gerard. He forgot how Gerard took his coffee, so he sighed then ran to Mikey in the living room.

“Hey, Mikes!” Frank yelled into the living room and walked in.

“Yeah, asshole?” Mikey yelled back from his FIFA game with Ray who Frank didn’t even hear come in.

“Um, how does Gee- Gerard take his coffee?”

“Are you his waiter now?” Ray sniggered.

“Ray, stop, seriously though, how does he take it?”

“Three teaspoons of sugar and a bit of milk, that all?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

With that, he turned around and quickly brewed the coffee. As he waited for it, he started to think about the man upstairs.

Why was he crying?

He looked like he had gone through so much, but what was it?

Mikey told him he had a condition before but he didn’t know what it was and he sure did want to know.

When the coffee maker finished, he carefully poured the coffee into two  _Nightmare Before Christmas_  mugs. He stirred in the milk and the sugar (not putting any milk in his) then grabbed a pack of sour Skittles from the food storage area. He carefully carried everything to the basement upstairs, careful not to trip and burn himself with the scalding hot coffee.

When he finally reached the attic, he saw Gerard curled up with Mittens, his eyes bloodshot and swollen. His pointy nose was red and runny forcing Gerard to wipe it. He stopped crying; he was just sniffling and trying to steady his breathing.

“Gee, I got the coffee and the Skittles; will you tell me what’s wrong now?”

Gerard looked up from Mittens then stared at Frank for a while.

Minutes passed until he finally whispered a quiet, “Okay.”

-*-

Gerard was always the quiet kid.

In Kindergarten, Gerard used to get picked on by the other kids. He didn’t remember why, but he remembered them shoving him, messing up his drawings, calling him names, getting him into the trouble. He would use the swing in the school’s playground and they’d shove him off. He would draw Mittens the Cat for his mom but they would rip it up. He would take out his bologna sandwich but they would grab it and throw the sandwich in the trashcan, leaving him to starve until he went home.

That progressed to Grade One.

In Grade One, he got his first ever friend.

He was a boy by the name of Sam.

At first, everything went great. They both played together, talked to each other, hung out together.

It was great.

For a while.

Sam then started to befriend the other children, the ones who bullied Gerard and shoved him around. He slowly started to abandon Gerard at the playground, slowly starting to join the other children until one day, he told Gerard to go away and to never talk to him again.

That progressed into Grade Two.

In Grade Two, Gerard received a letter from the whole class. Pulling his hair out of his face, he started to read the letter, or rather, the petition.

_Sign Your Name If You Hate Gerard Way._

It said  that in red crayon. He looked at the names, tears starting to form in his eyes as he read every single name in the class.

“Mr. Way, I thought I told you not to talk in class! No passing notes, either, I’m going to call your mother about your foul behavior.” The teacher barked then snatched the letter away from his hands. She read it, and then read the names. She looked at everyone in the class, looked at Gerard then threw the paper in the trash, not bothering to scold any other child.

In Grade Three, Gerard moved.

The Ways moved from Summit, New Jersey to Belleville, making Gerard happy about the fact that he could make new friends.

But he was wrong.

The first day in school, everyone stared at him, whispering amongst each other. The whispering and the pointing made Gerard feel like an animal in a zoo but he tried not to let it get to him.

He befriended a boy named Billie Joe. Billie was genuinely nice to Gerard. They would both hang out together, walk over to the canteen and get a can of Coca-Cola so they can both share, talk about the most random and complex topics, hug each other goodbye, visit each other’s houses.

It was the friendship Gerard always wanted.

Billie started to get closer to Gerard and vice versa.

They would share secrets, talk on the phone for hours on end, get closer to each other’s families.

That friendship lived on for years; it was strong, sincere and special.

They thought it would last forever.

But it didn’t.

Through that friendship, the friendship that lasted until high school, Gerard was dealing with so many troubles, ones that he didn’t tell Billie about.

He couldn’t.

Throughout Elementary, Middle and High School, Gerard used to get physically bullied by his peers.

It first started off as a shove or a push but it started to escalate quickly.

The first time it happened, he was on his way to one of his classes in Elementary School.

He had his books in his hands, his hair in his eyes to cover his face and his bag slung over one shoulder when a group of guys from his class approached him. They were taller than him and some had their friends over, making Gerard swallow audibly as he stared at the group.

“Hey, GeeTard!” One of the boys yelled, “Where you going, fatty?”

“T-T-To C-Class-“

“T-T-To C-Class?” The boy mimicked, scrunching up his face.

They taunted him, made fun of him, shoved his books away then punched his stomach, making him cry out in pain and fall to the floor. They kicked him and spat on him, ripping out his sketchbook then threw the cover at his face.

It continued on like that, with the same group of guys.

They got stronger each time they beat up Gerard, they were ruthless and cruel, making sure to bruise up Gerard’s face so he can be forced to cover it up with his mother’s make up.

By Grade Nine, he was too scared to go to school.

He would hide underneath the blankets and try not to cry out loud when he thought about the people at school.

It went from ten boys to the whole class making his life miserable- Except for Billie.

Billie would make Gerard feel better whenever he saw him but the words and the name-calling still lingered.

It wasn’t until Grade Twelve when his group of bullies actually made Gerard bleed.

He was with Billie; they both had iced coffees in hand, staring at the local playground from their hiding spot by a willow tree.

Gerard wanted to confess something, a topic that he thought about a lot, a topic that he knew applied to him.

“Billie…”

“Yeah, Gee?”

“Billie, I’m going to tell you something but… Just don’t hate me okay?”

“I would never hate you, Gee.”

“Well, um… I think… I think I’m bi…”

Billie was quiet for a few minutes but then nodded and drank a sip out of drink, “It’s your decision, Gee. You’re still my best friend, that doesn’t change anything.”

Gerard blushed then nodded, “Thanks, Billie. For being such an ass sometimes, you’re a great friend.”

Billie laughed and hugged Gerard’s side, “Thanks, so are you.”

Gerard thought that the conversation they had was a secret.

But it wasn’t.

A girl from the group that bullied Gerard overheard them then sent a text to everyone in her contact list and that message got sent over and over.

When Gerard went to school the next day, he didn’t expect all the extra hostility.

People glared at him, some looked at him with disgust, others sneered as he walked by and a lot of people shoved him.

He didn’t know what was going on.

It wasn’t until he was in the bathroom when the group of guys barged in and grabbed him. He tried to scream out but they muffled him and shoved him in a stall, making his head hit the toilet hard.

“I always knew you were a faggot.” The leader spat, punching Gerard’s eye.

He whimpered and brought his hand to his eye, “I-I don’t know what you’re t-t-talking about-“

“You’re a faggot, GeeTard,” Another boy snarled, “You’re a disgrace.”

They punched his face again, hard.

But this time, the force of the blow hit his mouth and he felt a sharp pain his gums and lips. The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth and he had to spit it out, a trail of crimson flowing down his chin.

“L-Leave me alone- Please, just-“

“Shut up, fag.” Another one sneered then grabbed Gerard’s head and smashed his head against the toilet seat. The boy lifted Gerard’s head up by the hair then chuckled when he saw Gerard trying to fight back.

“N-No, stop-“

Before Gerard could finish his sentence, they shoved his head into the toilet bowl.

It was repulsive.

He felt the water go into his mouth and he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t think it could get any worse when someone flushed the toilet.

Gerard felt like his head was going to get sucked down the toilet, he couldn’t breathe and he thought he was going to  _die_. His hair twisted and was getting pulled tightly making his eyes water.

He wanted to get away, to breathe and to fight back but he couldn’t.

They did it again, their hands leaving bruises on Gerard’s pale skin.

“Aw, the fag is crying!” Some guy said sarcastically, “So sad!”

They pulled him back up and then repeated it again.

Gerard felt like he was going to choke. His throat burned and his eyes watered, he wanted to go and find Billie and go home.

The leader of the group shoved Gerard one final time then flushed the toilet again.

The familiar feeling of drowning and choking came back but this time, he couldn’t even breathe.

When they let go, he saw stars in his vision and his throat felt like it was on fire.

“Faggot, what a fucking fag, you stupid son of a bitch, hope you rot in hell where you belong.” The leader spat then punched Gerard’s face one last time.

And that was strong enough to make him pass out.

-*-

“I started to hide away in the attic. Billie and I drifted apart because of that. I-It’s my fault we’re not friends anymore. Now, I’m just scared. I wasted my life and now I can’t do anything with it because I’m too scared.” Gerard finished.

Frank listened to Gerard’s story. He knew why Gerard would be so upset. If that would’ve happened to him, he wouldn’t even be alive right now- or sane, either.

Gerard was slowly starting to tear up again but he quickly blinked the tears away.

“The last two months, I’ve been thinking about my future. All the people I’ve went to school with are successful and  _happy_. I’m not. I’m just a waste of a perfectly good life.”

“Don’t say that, Gee. You’re a wonderful guy; those people are just assholes, okay? I swear, I want to punch them so hard but right now, we should just care about the present. Those guys are in the past and I know your past might haunt you but just remember that you’ll get better. It gets better. I’ll help you get over your fear of social interaction and I’ll help mend your friendship with Billie. I want to see you happy.”

Frank expected Gerard to thank him or to nod but he certainly didn’t expect the blush on Gerard’s cheeks.

“Thanks, Frankie…”

“No, problem, just remember, Gee, it gets better.”

The older man smiled, his small teeth showing and the blush intensifying.

Frank smiled back, a small blush on his cheeks, too. He was glad that he made Gerard feel happier than before.

“Well, I’m going to sleep-“

“I’ll go.” Frank said quickly.

“No, don’t go, can you please stay with me?”

Frank blushed even more. He felt like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“Sure, Gee. Goodnight.”

He crawled into bed and then covered himself up with the blankets.

“Goodnight, Frankie.”

Before he turned around, Gerard quickly kissed Frank on the cheeks then turned around and fell asleep instantly.

If it was possible, Frank would’ve died from how much he was blushing after that.

\---

It was a few weeks since Frank made Gerard feel better.

Every day after his classes and work at Rosa’s Coffee Shop, he would make three coffees for the Way brothers and himself then walk to the Way’s house.

Today, he brought bagels and he knew how much Gerard loved them.

Frank wanted Gerard to come out of the house, to go on a walk with him. He’s been begging Gerard to go outside but the older man always refused then talked to Mittens.

He knew it wasn’t healthy for Gerard to be up in the attic for so long, so he tried and tried.

Frank stopped thinking about the problem the minute he knocked on the door and Mikey rushed to open it, a grin on his face.

“Hey, Frank! You brought bagels?! Oh my God, thank you so fucking much!” Mikey yelled then took the bagel and coffee from Frank, practically jumping up and down.

“ _Billie!_ Let’s share a bagel!” Mikey shouted and in two seconds, an excited Billie Joe ran to the door.

“Bagels?! Where?!”

“Can you guys let me in?” Frank laughed.

His two excited bagel-loving friends stepped aside for him to pass and then followed him to the kitchen.

“It’s a good thing I got extra bagels.” Frank chuckled then handed Billie one.

“Ah, thank you so much, Frank, fuck, I love bagels.”

“I can tell. But I need to ask you something. Alone.”

They both looked at Mikey who sighed then walked away to the living room.

“So, what do you want to ask?”

“Mikey told me that Gerard has a… condition. I have to know what it is if I’m going to help him.”

When Frank mentioned Gerard’s name, he saw Billie frown and nod.

“I think we’re going to sit down for this. He’s my best friend, you know? I miss him so much.”

Frank nodded with a sympathetic smile on his face. They both took their seats by the kitchen table. Billie drummed his fingers on the wood, the frown deepening and aging his face. His eyes betrayed the sadness and worry he had over his best friend and it made Frank want to hug him and promise him that it will all be okay.

“Gerard is asocial. I hope you know what it means.”

Frank nodded, he heard about it because he had to write an essay about the topic for school. Asociality refers to the lack of motivation to engage in social interaction, or a preference for solitary activities, was the term for it.

“He’s asocial? Was he always like this?”

“He was but he opened up to me easily. I never knew he got bullied at school until I read his journal right after graduation. I told him about it, told him that he should’ve said something, but he told me that he couldn’t. That if he did, they would hurt me, too. He made me so sad; he just pushed me away, too scared to talk to anyone. That day you drew on everyone’s face, I knew he drew on mine.

“He thanked me, he wrote it. He thanked me for being there for him. I want to help him but he won’t listen to me but I’m glad he listens to you. I haven’t seen him in so long.”

Frank nodded throughout Billie’s speech, thinking about something important. He thought over it then decided to say it out loud.

“Billie… You can talk to Gerard right now.”

Billie’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, “Really?”

“Yeah, let’s go, he would love to see you. Just give him his coffee on the way there; you can have mine, too.”

“Nah, you can keep yours, I just had an energy drink. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Take your time.”

\---

While Gerard and Billie talked, Frank hung out with Mikey in the living room. They played FIFA (which was Mikey’s favorite game) for hours. They shouted profanities at each other, threw popcorn at the screen, screamed when they scored.

It was pretty hectic.

After a few hours, Billie came down a huge grin on his face.

“I have a surprise for you!” He yelled.

Mikey and Frank both looked at him and right behind Billie stood a blushing, smiling Gerard.

He was wearing a grey trench coat that rested just above his knees and black skeleton gloves. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck, hiding the lower half of his face. Frank looked for Mittens and found the toy cat safe in the trench coat’s pocket.

“Look who came out of the attic!”

“Hi, guys.” Gerard mumbled then smiled at Frankie.

“Wow, why are you all dressed up to go outside?” Mikey asked; eyes wide.

“Frankie, do you want to go on that walk?” Gerard asked with a small smile on his face.

“Fuck yeah!”

Frank stood up, ran to get his jacket, shoved his feet into his sneakers then grinned at Gerard, “Come on, Gee.”

Gerard nodded then turned to Billie, “Thanks, Billie. For being such an ass sometimes, you’re a great friend.”

The two men smiled at each other knowingly.

“Thanks, so are you.” Billie replied.

“Come on, Frankie, let’s go on that walk.”

“After you, good sir, straight ahead!” Frank yelled as he opened the front door.

Gerard giggled, his nose scrunching up then stepped out.

Before Frank could join the other man, he turned around then smiled at Billie, “Thank you.”

Billie blushed then nodded, “You’re welcome.”

With that, Frank turned around and followed Gerard.

The older man took out Mittens and held the toy cat in his hands, biting his lips and looking at the scenery.

His eyes scanned the details in the neighborhood, looking at everything and absorbing it in. He saw the little kids play in the snow on someone’s yard with the mother filming everything in the background. An old man was shoveling his driveway, his breath coming out in white clouds and he was shaking in the cold.

“Let’s go help that man out.” Frank suggested.

Gerard stared at the man for a long time but nodded eventually.

They both approached the old man and asked if he wanted help. He smiled and shook his head, claiming he could do it all by himself but when he saw Gerard, his eyes widened, “Are you the older Way son?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

The man grinned, “It’s nice to finally meet you, son. I hope you’re doing okay.”

With that, he bid them goodbye and continued to shovel the snow.

They both walked around, not doing anything but talking about random things. They walked for at least thirty minutes when Frank saw a park.

It wasn’t like any other park.

This one had a wooden fence surrounding it with vines stretched over it. The entrance was a little gate that had the park rules and information about it which said that the park was themed after a Japanese town.

“Let’s go inside, I bet it looks cool.” Gerard suggested, his voice muffled by the scarf on his face.

“Sure.”

They stepped inside and walked on the trail. They saw all the Japanese-themed sculptures and small bridges. There were ponds and streams with a little area for sitting. It was a beautiful park and Frank thought that it would be even better during the summer.

They sat on a bench, staring at the small pond when Gerard spoke.

“Thank you, Frankie. Thank you for being patient with me.”

Frank blushed and chuckled, “It was no big deal, and I really care about you, Gee. I just wanted to see you happy.”

It was Gerard’s turn to blush. He covered his face with his hands and giggled, “Oh God, Frankie, you’re so fucking sappy.”

“Hey! I’m just very… emotional.”

“Well, that’s why I like you.” Gerard giggled again then played with Mittens.

“You know, Frankie, um… I really like you. A lot.”

Frank couldn’t blush anymore, he was so red, and he looked like a ripe tomato.

“I really like you, too.”

“What I mean is… I like you more than friends. I… I really, really like you.”

Frank’s eyes widened and he stared at Gerard, feeling his heartbeat accelerate.

“A-Are you for real?!”

“Um… Yeah.”

“Fuck! Oh my God, oh my God this! I can’t even- Ah, wait, right here.”

He stood up then jumped around chanting, “Yes!” over and over again, swinging his arms around. He heard Gerard laugh in the background, his laughter echoing around them.

“Oh my fuck, do you know how long I’ve waited for this fucking moment?! I can’t even breathe right now! Oh my, Gerard I like you, too!”

Gerard looked shocked, “You- You like me, too?”

“Yeah, I do! Oh my God, I can’t  _breathe_.”

“Are you seriously fangirling right now?” Gerard burst out laughing, tears of laughter in his eyes.

“How can I not? Ah, okay, I need to calm down. Phew, there, okay, I’m calm.” Frank chuckled.

“Well, Mr. Fangirl… Can I kiss you?”

Frank nodded quickly, a huge grin on his face.

He watched as Gerard leaned in and his eyes fluttered shut so he mimicked him, hearing his heart beat in his ears.

It wasn’t his first kiss.

But it was the first time he will ever kiss someone he truly cared about.

He felt Gerard’s lips hover over his so he leaned in and pressed his lips to the other man’s.

It was slow at first then it escalated to Frank wrapping his arms around Gerard’s neck. It was slightly awkward with them sitting down but they both didn’t mind, they continued to kiss.

He felt Gerard’s hands touch his cheeks as they kissed harder, their lips molding together but they had to breathe even though Frank liked kissing Gerard way more than breathing.

They pulled apart and smiled at each other.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Gerard bit his swollen lip.

“Well, you weren’t the only one, Gee.”

“Um, does this count as a date?” Gerard chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it does. Now, does this,” Frank quickly kissed Gerard’s lips, “make us together?”

“Sure.”

“Well, today has been the best day ever, Gee.”

“Same for me, Frankie. Want to go back to my house?”

“Sure, why not?”

With that, they both walked back, hand in hand.

When they finally arrived, they rushed over to the attic and lay down on the bed, just like every day.

“Frankie, you mean a lot to me. Ever since the first day I met you, I’ve been thinking about you non-stop so I want you to have this.”

Gerard reached over, held Mittens in his hand then placed the toy cat on Frank’s stomach.

“You can keep Mittens, so you can always remember me.”

“Aw, Gee, you don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to.”

“Tell you what, we’ll share.”

“We’ll share Mittens?”

“Yeah, we will.”

Gerard placed the toy cat on the pillow next to his head then snuggled up to Frank with a smile on his face, “Thank you, Frankie.”

“No problem, just keep in mind I’ll always be here for you, okay? Never forget that.”

“It’s like you’re my guardian angel, right?” Gerard suggested.

“Exactly, Gerard, I’m like your guardian angel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I hope you liked this! 
> 
> This was an entry for a writing competition on Wattpad, called MCR Alphabet, here's a link for all the entries:
> 
> http://www.wattpad.com/31454583-mcr-alphabet
> 
> The entries are awesome so have fun reading!


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